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Saturday, January 7, 2012

Why We Cloth Diaper: A Contest Entry

I just started a January term course at Eden called "Greening the Bible: An Ecological Reading of Scripture." We are talking about how the environment and our faith are so deeply intertwined that we cannot ignore the ecological crisis that we bring upon the world when we fail to realize that our resources are not endless. We are all united in God's creation, and we are called to take care of the earth and one another. It was a bit of a coincidence that I happened to open the daily e-mail from Cotton Babies, the store where we stocked up on all our cloth diapers, and found out that they are having a contest to win 12 free BumGenius All-in-One diapers.

I've decided to give the contest a shot. I just have to write a blog entry about how easy and inexpensive cloth diapering is. This is not something that I'm getting compensated for or anything, just a contest and if I don't win, at least I told some people about an aspect of parenting that I think every Mama and Daddy should try. Here's a link to the invitation to the contest.

When we found out about Evelyn, we didn't even consider disposables. We have a good friend at the seminary who cloth diapers both her babies and we learned from her how easy it is. Plus, we were broke and disposable diapers are significantly more expensive in the long run. Finally, because we see stewardship of the earth as a part of our commitment to the Christian faith, it seemed so right.

Turns out, it's a lot easier than I ever would have thought. Maybe it's because I don't know any different, and if I had to transition from disposable diapering to cloth diapering, I might find it pretty difficult. The single pack of newborn disposables we went through in the first week were pretty tempting in those middle of the night changes sometimes, but after the first couple of weeks it didn't seem to make any difference in terms of difficulty.

Here is a video we made about how we put Evelyn's diapers on:

Other than the actual act of diaper changing, our routine consists of washing every two days (the average baby goes through 8-10 diapers a day; newborns closer to 12). We use an apartment washer that hooks up to the sink, and we hang dry on a basic folding drying rack. When they are dry, we fold them all into the origami fold so that they're ready. About every other week, we will throw them in the dryer in our apartment complex just to get some softness back into them, and when it's sunny outside we put them outside to sun-bleach any stains. It may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn't. And, honestly, if we were using disposables we'd be taking garbage to the dumpster twice as often.

We got an amazing deal on our diapers. We went around Easter and they were having a sale and we landed on a 30% entire purchase deal. So we went ahead and bought six covers (which can be used more than once before being washed), flats, and odor removal spray for $70. It was enough for us to diaper her for two days. Even without the discount, though, it is still so much cheaper!!

Most of our diaper stash from left to right--
4 Oh Katy pocket diapers, 2 out of 3 Econobum covers, about 1/3 of our flats,
4 Thirsties covers, and 3 Flips covers

Eventually my very generous Mother-in-Law, who cloth diapered all six of her kids bought a few more diapers, including some BumGenius Newborn diapers, which were amazing. And we had an Amazon.com gift certificate with which we bought some Oh Katy! diapers which are a bit easier to explain to babysitters. So, with the original purchase, our Mother-in-Law's purchase, and the Oh Katy's, our stash probably costs $200 total.

Evelyn, a few days old, wearing one of
the Newborn All-in-Ones her Nana bought her

Finally, I just want to add that cloth booties are stinking cute!

Thanks for your time! Please leave comments, ask questions, etc. and the best part is that if I win, I get to choose one of YOU to win 12 free diapers as well!

28 comments:

I wish I could cloth diaper. I was so set on it. My mother and mother in law both had bad experiences (25 years ago ugh) with it. Since they watch Lila while I'm at work for 9 hours every day it was just easier for me to cave. They were using their diapers and it wasn't changing. Maybe with my next one I can!!!

Great post. Do you happen to know about how many gallons of water used every month to wash the flats/covers? I'm curious only because I want to figure in all aspects of costs associated. What kind of detergent do you use? What about reusable wipes? Ha, i wonder if there is a baby wipe "shamwoww"?!?! Thanks for sharing!

Aunt Joanna, my mom-mom has tried to put a cloth diapers on me but my skin is super sensitive and my bum turned bright RED! Not sure if Evelyn has ever had a similar experience, but can you offer any insights that may help? Tell my cuz and Uncle Maic I said hi! Love you!

We love cloth too! With our oldest, we tried but it wasn't for us. But when number 2 came around, we were ready to take the plunge! We however, have never used flats, they seem so intimidating, but thanks for the links. We might try it out now!

I have several friends who use cloth diapers, and should I ever have babies, I would too...the cuteness factor has increased exponentially since the rubber pants and plain white diapers my parents used for my siblings and I, but I must say, they stayed long into my childhood and probably teens as well as dust rags...they last so long!

I loved your video-- The idea of cloth diapering has always made me nervous because I thought it would be difficult, but you make it look easy! And you're SO right about the cost efficiency. I have a 5-month-old now, and we're using disposables because that's what we received at our shower (we haven't actually had to buy diapers yet, which is such a blessing because they're SO expensive). Maybe when our stash runs out I will look into buying some cloth...I've been looking for more ways to go green, anyway! :)Thanks for such a great post.

Great blog! I cloth diaper too and LOVE my bum genius seconds! I like how you connected diapering to your faith. On a trip to Guatemala about 2 years ago, we visited a city dump in Guatemala City. While vultures swarmed over head we watched as people dug through the garbage. It was heartbreaking. I had heard it takes one diaper about 500 years to decompose and that the main things in dumps are diapers. Seeing the people whose livelihoods depend on what they find in the dump, and seeing shanties that are on the hill beside the dump broke my heart. This is not what God intended for peoples lives or our world to come to. I see cloth diapering as a small way to help make our world a better place.

Hi Charis and Zoey! Great questions. I found this blog entry about cost of water: http://www.attachedmoms.com/2011/12/cost-of-water-and-cloth-diapering.html which includes a link to another great source. Energy costs (in addition to coin operated laundry) are the main reason that we hang dry. I've had a lot of people ask me about whether or not it's really environmentally more sound considering washing and drying, and my response is to consider the manufacturing of disposables. Both need to be manufactured, but disposables are only used once and involve chemicals, etc.

In terms of diaper rash, I know that Zoey's skin is super sensitive, so that might be a bit of an obstacle for you, but the amount of detergent we use plays a huge role in whether or not E gets a rash. We only fill halfway to the "1" line and we use All Free and Clear or Dreft. It may seem like you want to use more detergent because you think the job is extra dirty, but that doesn't seem to be the case. Our diapers are always very clean and never smell! There are also diapers that are meant to keep the moisture off of the booty using fabrics like fleece, which wick away the moisture.

I hope that helps a little bit, but if you really want to consider it (particularly with your next bambino) we'll talk more.

How interesting! I don't have any babies yet but when I do, I think I'll have to consider doing this. Never really thought of it before but it looks so easy, and the savings must be incredible. Thanks for sharing! -Molly

Good for you Joanna! Before Jonah was born I bought (and made!) his cloth diapers, we have tons of prefolds, about 12 AIO bum genuis, some thirsties and a couple other kinds. Unfortunately his little bum couldnt handle it, i washed them in a few different detergents and tried stripping them but he still broke out. I have yet to try on Max, but your post is motivating me to give it another go!!

Even though I don't have kids yet, you've convinced me. The first time I changed Evelyn's diaper when you weren't around, I worried I wasn't doing it right, but it turns out I was! It really is that simple! And I don't know if this has anything to do with the fact that they are cloth diapers or not, but Evelyn always enjoys getting her diaper changed, wheras other babies I've known tend to resist it.

Thanks for the great blog, I use some bum genius currently and have been struggling to get pre-folds snapped on tight enough. I assumed flats would be beyond my skill level but they actually look easier in your video! I love that you showed you can Cd while living in an apartment. For me saving money is important but I Cd mainly because they are eco-friendly. I air dry so I have only added about 3 wash loads a week which compared to the resources that go into making disposables is nothing!

Thank you for your post! You made it look so easy! I wish I could cloth diaper, but we cannot afford the upfront costs right now. I tried to re-do our budget to make room for it, but with the recent hospital bills, it is just not feasible. Goodluck!

I absolutely love using cloth diapers and it makes me happy when I see others sharing their love! We chose to use cloth for a variety of reasons, my top ones being reducing chemical exposure and not wanting to be responsible for putting thousands of disposables into the landfill to rot for eternity.Our stash consists mostly of pockets (Alvas and AMP) because my fiancee complained too much about having to use prefolds. I actually like them, but it's just easier this way. I'm excited because we finally got some fitteds and wool ordered for overnights so hopefully by the end of the week we'll be 100% free of disposables! (We'd been using them at night because the wetness of the prefolds kept my little man up at night and the pockets leaked no matter how I stuffed them)

I love your apartment washer! I wish I had one of those! It must make life that much easier! I know how much I love my front loader but I remember the days of coin laundering all of my cloth diapers or taking them to my dad's house to spend a whole day just washing diapers!

This is a really great blog and you show cloth diapering for what it really is, cheap, easy and earth friendly! (Plus all of the other benefits especially including the lack of chemicals your child is exposed to through the SAP within disposable diapers. ) Children who are cloth diapered potty train faster as well. My girls were both well trained by two.

Cloth diapers also last forever! I always was adding to my collection but the initial cost of my collection was spread out and I was able to use my diapers for 4+ years!

I was addicted to Fuzzibunz and then eventually sewed my own pockets and fitteds with covers. BEST THING EVER!

Evelyn is such a darling and it is truly wonderful that you have chosen to pursue the better alternative for her diapering needs. Great writing as always Joanna!

That purple diaper is adorable! And, I probably spent $200/month on disposables for our first two, so I'm super excited about cloth diapering our third. For the money and the environment. Previously I wondered if it was better because of the soap, water and energy, but I never factored in all of that that is involved in production of disposables.

That purple diaper makes me want a baby girl! I have 2 little boys in diapers, ages 24 months and 7 months. I love cloth diapers, they are so nice and comfy on my babies:) Thanks for writing an informative post on cloth.

P.S. Evelyn is my girl name if we ever get blessed with a little princess. Love that name!

I have been planning on using cloth diapers when Iain and I have kids, and your blog seals the deal in my mind! About the sensitive skin - I know when my parents used cloth diapers on me I had very sensitive skin and so after washing the diapers they would wash them again without adding more detergent. I suppose that would cut down on the eco-friendly aspect of cloth diapers however...

Joann has a great section with supplies to make cloth diapers and waterproof covers. I'm not sure how the price compares to just buying them pre-made but I think it's great that they offer those products for crafty moms! I don't have any little ones yet but I definitely plan on cloth diapering - no matter how much my husband fights me on it!

What a wonderful blog! My husband and I are constantly having conversations about how we can help to save our environment. It is really sad what the human race has done to our world. The polar ice caps melting, global warming, etc. We really want to start making positive strides towards making this world a better place for our son, and his children, and his children's children. I recently brought up the idea of cloth diapering Collin and he said we could "think about it". Between your blog and other research, I think I will be making the switch soon! I just need to do more research to find out what brands we will use but cloth diapering is now my new years resolution! Thanks for the blog Joanna!

While I am not ready for kids yet, I love reading your blog and seeing Evelyn grow. I think that cloth diapering is something that everyone should look into. I am an avid recycler and this is just one more way to help the environment. Thanks for the info!

What a great blog entry. We are going to a workshop on starting cloth diapering Sunday. I worried how we could justify cloth diapering when we lived in an apartment and each load of laundry is 1.75. I hadn't even heard of an apartment washer. After reading your blog I am confident I can cloth diaper in an apartment setting. PS: I love Evelyns baby brows.

Wow! Thanks for all the awesome comments, everybody! I feel like this is exactly what the contest was for-- to encourage people to consider cloth diapering. Success! I'll keep you updated about whether or not I go further in the contest!